Steps of becoming a US Marine Aviator?

[PlatinumA1]

Alright so I'm in the 8th grade and considering of joining the naval academy and entering the marine corps to be a pilot but i am just wondering what are the proper steps to become one. I am pretty smart with pretty good grades , i
play basketball , but the only thing that sets me back is my -4.0 eyesight in both eyes. So i just need a little advice cause if i am not worthy of joining the military i need to start looking into something else.

[Ironcomatose]

I think when it comes to aviation the Marines/USAF/Navy accept nothing but perfection seeing as there is always plenty of people trying to get that job so your eyesight might hurt you big time. Although im not sure, maybe you should ask a recruiter and try to get a simple yes or no answer from him.

[BloodBane611]

Bad non-correctable eyesight will probably be an issue. There are too many people who want to become pilots for the military not to take those they think best fit their criteria.

[SiN|ScarFace]

Think of it this way, you and thousands of other people have the same idea and goal at any given time, many have perfect vision, perfect grades and sources for letters of recomendation. You could fly a heli or transport more likely, only the top grads of pilot training get to pick what they fly and there are not very many jet slots in the Marines. Also in the USMC you have to do all the grunt stuff first, you have to be a devil dog on the ground before they let you fly. Recruiters will lie to your face and give you false hope, ask someone who has already done it for a realistic plan.

[[R-MOD]Eddiereyes909]

The answer is: it depends.

Right now your in 8th grade, try to think of other things you really want to do.

However make sure your in great physical shape, and that you did allot of things in your science classes (ie; physics)

[Viper5]

1. Make those pretty good grades into excellent ones. As in you NEED to be in the top 5 or 10% of your class. And even then its questionable.

2. Physical Shape. You're in 8th grade, but start running now. My suggestion would be to find the USMC or Army PFT and get into the 95+ Percentile by the time the summer in between Junior and Senior year comes around.

3. There are a lot of programs for High School summers. Do them. Your HS Guidance Counselor should have info on these.

[[R-DEV]e-Gor]

I don't know about in the US, but anything less than perfect eyesight will rule you out of flying fast jets in the RAF (I assume that's what you're wanting as a pilot, rather than transport/logistics?). There also tend to be pretty stringent criteria regarding other aspects of health and fitness. Take a good look at all the recruitment information and requirements before you commit to anything.

[DOAW]

Originally Posted by SiN|ScarFace

Also in the USMC you have to do all the grunt stuff first, you have to be a devil dog on the ground before they let you fly.

Uh, no. Unless by "grunt stuff" you mean graduate from the academy or OCS and TBS. 03 and 75 are very different training paths, and training in one isn't necessary to be trained in the other. Every Marine is a rifleman, but not every Marine is a Grunt.

[PlatinumA1]

Yeah i dont really wanna fly jets , They're cool and all but i really dont think i can handle the pressure of landing a jet on a carrier at night

[EagleEyeLG]

Originally Posted by Viper5

1. Make those pretty good grades into excellent ones. As in you NEED to be in the top 5 or 10% of your class. And even then its questionable.

2. Physical Shape. You're in 8th grade, but start running now. My suggestion would be to find the USMC or Army PFT and get into the 95+ Percentile by the time the summer in between Junior and Senior year comes around.

I've heard there are only a few slots upon graduation to become a Marine at the Naval Academy, I may be wrong.

I'm a sophomore in college and I'm in the process of dropping my Army ROTC scholarship and contract to go into the Marines and I'm looking to get an aviation slot, so I've been in contact with a whole bunch of people, most importantly my OSO. If all goes as planned, I'll be off to OCS this summer.

Pretty much just do the best you can. Once you're in college is when you REALLY have to start worrying about grades and especially PT for the Marines (I'm talking about OCS, not the Naval Academy). They REALLY stress PT so it would definitely be a good idea to start exercising a whole bunch and I'd join the football team or track team once you get into high school. I REALLY regret not playing football in high school.

It pretty much doesn't what classes you take or how well you do in them, for example, if you have pretty good grades but got say a 'B' in physics rather than an 'A', it really doesn't matter as long as your GPA is good.

Regarding eyesight, I think you need to have at least 20/40 and it has to be correctable to 20/20 or something like that.

Also, get everything in writing as you could very well be screwed over.

Bottom line is, do the best you can and do as much research as you can. And one last thing, KEEP OUT OF TROUBLE IN HIGH SCHOOL. Having an MIP, DUI, or something similar on your record can really, really hurt you.